I haven’t posted anything here for two years.
I originally started this blog to post my reflections on the gospel of Mark, which our church read as a group during the summer of 2009. Only a couple of people from my church ever read my blog. The majority of my readers were strangers who stumbled by looking for other places. That’s fine. I love visitors. But a few of my visitors liked to post objections to what I wrote. Nevermind that what I was writing were reflections of what I read, not pronouncements of dogma. I am convinced that some christians live to argue. Some who attempted to post were downright obnoxious. (These were strangers, not anyone I know in “real life.”).
You do realize that christians being obnoxious is one of the reasons so many non-christians don’t want to have much to do with Christ. I include myself in this statement since I have been known not to hold my tongue when I should. I am working on this.
This is also the main reason I stopped writing about the most important Person in my life: Jesus. In fact, most people that I deal with in the “real world” and in the virtual realm have no idea that I am a christian. As many of you know who are out in the world, being a christian is almost as bad a being a dog-catcher or a tax-collector. I am embarrassed to say what I am. Not because of Christ, but because of what some of His people say and do.
That being said, I am going to try blogging once again. I am going to post my own personal reflections on things that I read. What I will write would be what I might write in the margins of a book (hence the title of the blog). Also, I may irk some readers because what I read, what I think and what I write might be considered outside the box and on the edge for a christian. I have eclectic tastes and an inquiring mind and I sometimes read things that some christians might think as “marginal”. For example, I have been known to read the writings of Catholic saints and Chinese Taoist philosophers on the same day. I know the finer points of Calvinist doctrine and believe that the charismatic gifts of the Spirit can be for today. Oh, and don’t try to tell me that my thoughts on the End Times are wrong. They are as right as anyone’s point-of-view can be about something that has not happened yet.
For now, I am leaving the comments function operational. I like to know when people read my stuff. You don’t have to agree with me, but you do have to be polite. If I don’t like what you say, I will delete your comments. If you don’t like being censored, then create your own blog and write what you want there. I may just turn off the comments function altogether. I haven’t decided yet.
I’m sorry if that sounds a little harsh. I really don’t mean to be. But I feel like I need to be honest and lay some ground rules here based upon my previous experiences.
Your’s truly
Pelican1
Oh, and if you are wondering why I am using a pseudonym/avatar… well, I like pelicans.
